A K50,000 reward has been announced for information leading to the arrest of suspects involved in the brutal torture and murder of 45-year-old Rosa Yakapus from Biako village in Kandep, Enga Province.
Yakapus, a mother-of-five, was shot point-blank on Wage Bridge in Magarima, Hela Province, on Wednesday, July 2, after being accused of sorcery.
A disturbing video of the incident has since gone viral, prompting widespread condemnation and swift action by authorities.
Police Commissioner David Manning said the K50,000 reward would be paid for information that leads directly to the arrest of each individual identified in the footage.
“The priority is the arrest of those who tortured and killed this woman,” Mr Manning said. “There are no words to describe the animal acts of those responsible. For those who watched on but did nothing — the word is coward.”
Yakapus was married to Jonathan Hetaya of Ugu village in Upper Wage, Magarima. He was a senior teacher at Kapeanda Primary School and had collapsed and died after complaining of chest pains following a bath. It is alleged that Yakapus told his relatives she had “his heart in her hands”, which sparked the accusations of sorcery.
She was one of three women suspected of practising sanguma, with the other two reportedly released.
On July 1, she was tortured, and the next day, she was executed on the bridge, her body falling into the river. It was later recovered and is now at Tari General Hospital morgue.
Hela Governor Philip Undialu has given the Magarima community until Tuesday, July 8, to surrender those responsible.
“There is no place in our society for such animalistic behaviour,” Mr Undialu said. “Christianity has been in this country for more than 50 years. This kind of inhumane brutality must stop.”
Police have already identified several faces from the video.
Hela Provincial Police Commander and Mobile Squad 09 have been tasked to track down the perpetrators.
Commissioner Manning said two groups are under investigation: those who actively participated in the murder, and those who enabled the act by providing material support.
“These are not cultural beliefs — they are abominations,” Manning said. “Murder is murder, no matter your so-called ‘beliefs’. Police will use all available resources to bring these individuals to justice.”
